


Madness

by melismatic



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adult Frisk, Alternate Universe - Horrortale, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-09-22 21:51:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9627026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melismatic/pseuds/melismatic
Summary: Frisk was sure he was there, somewhere within the madness. Was it wrong of her to hope she could help him find himself again? She would say no, but while Underground again there had been puns, he still loved Papyrus and it made her dare to hope that just maybe she could fix this. Or at least make things a bit better.Helping them to the surface was only the beginning.





	1. Sunny Side Up

**Author's Note:**

> So...my first Undertale fanfiction. This can either go good or bad, huh? lol
> 
> Okay so, I don't own Undertale and Horrortale is so not my idea. Glad we got that out of the way. And now hopefully this captures your interest, so be sure to comment and let me know.

* * *

 

The sun was bright, she almost forgot what it felt like as it warmed her skin and seeped down to her bones. She was in a mix of happiness and sadness, she had hoped for the stars to greet them yet she looked.

 

Each one was transfixed, staring at the landscape and she felt the brush of a bony hand to hers. She glanced over, smiling at Sans’s dazed expression the most yet tinged with sadness. She should have shown him this so long ago.

 

His hands no longer clutched the ax handle so tightly, and she watched him carefully. Unsure what may happen next.

They were free, but what now…

 

They were not the same monsters she met so long ago. They were tattered and bruised, with only glimpses of who they used to be. She looked over at the skeleton at her side again, Sans with his skull cracked open and his red iris shined.

 

Murmurs were starting, and then laughter came from different directions, it was small at first. Now it was louder. Cries and laughter grew, and Frisk looked around to see so many holding each other.

They hugged, they cried, they laughed.

 

And she felt hope that just maybe this would all work out.

 

Yet Sans was silent, quiet. And the next she looked he disappeared.

  
  


* * *

 


	2. Chapter 2 : To be Eaten or to be Reminded of it...alot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Frisk has made it to the surface with all her monster...umm friends? Sorta friends? Maybe acquaintances of a close nature?
> 
> Either way, the monsters are finally on the surface and it's time to rebuild. Yet Frisk forgot one thing...the fish monster that's still plenty pissed with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...
> 
> I'm glad you guys are so interested! It means alot, a whole lot. So I first gotta say thank you for all the kudos and comments, they made my day. Second and definitely not least, I don't own Undertale. Didn't make up Horrortale. Also, did you guys know its Frans week? I honestly just found out. Lol 
> 
> Now I hope you guys enjoy the second chapter. And fair warning, there's going to be some moments of violence or at least memories of it when it comes to this story. It's a necessary evil. If it's not your thing, I understand. I'm actually working on another Undertale fiction so that one may be more your style when I put it up. It'll be SansxFrisk too. 
> 
> And of course, she'll be of age.
> 
> But on with this story!

* * *

 

 

The first day was hard, they say the first step is the hardest.

Things had just been too easy.

The town that once feared magic and the monsters behind the barrier was now a bustling city that not only relied on magic but found monsters a lucky thing to behold. It had surprised her as well, as she remembered the legends that once swept through the town she came from.

And next to that city, the monsters would start anew within the forest. Far yet close to the city filled with humans. The monsters took down trees, laying down their construction as many talked among themselves.

It was going all well.

So very well.

She really should have known.

Undyne wanted her dead, it was a fact. One that Frisk could not ignore once the fish monster stormed her way.  Her eyes widened, looking at the monster that once laughed over a burnt down house after giving her Papyrus’s cooking lesson.

One moment she was merely looking for Toriel and the next a chill ran through her, and she could see Undyne coming.

Frisk had tried reasoning with her Underground, only to die again…

And again…

She was shaking, the memory of the spear tearing through her midsection wouldn’t go away. A hand went to her stomach, she couldn’t breathe.

She could hear the laughing, that maniacal laugher that Undyne had as she pierced her stomach with the spear. Pulling it out,  then stabbing again with Frisk’s blood dripping to the floor.

 

Flesh being ripped as Undyne screamed of betrayal, the words  ringing in Frisk’s ears as she begged for her to be done.

 

The void was no savior, giving her the ability to watch as Undyne would feast on her bones. Teeth dripping red as they tore at Frisk’s flesh.

The light would always fade but never fast enough. And Frisk  would always see a fanged smile looking back at her as her eyes closed.

Every reset, Undyne would smile at the end.

Frisk always remembered that smile, such a bitter thing to greet her while she coughed up blood.

Then next, the metallic, coppery taste was licked from her lips once before she felt the tug. Just a small tug until it tore, it ripped, and she was screaming.

Sometimes she couldn’t look away, while in that dark space of in between. Having to watch her eat and every time Undyne left her with a permanent grin that rivaled Sans. Frisk’s teeth were stained with blood, and her face in shreds where her mouth once lay.

Undyne always took her lips…

A mouth coated in lies…

Frisk blinked...

Undyne was closer...closer...

She clutched at her chest. Breathe. Just breathe. She had to remember to breathe.

_ I saved them! _

She grabbed her head. Pulling, then pulling harder at her hair.

_ I sentenced them... _

She made them hope, then left them without their king. Even poor Toriel, the sound of Aliza mimicking the goat woman’s pleadings were loud in her head.

She was young then and sometimes she was barely an adult. 

_ I’m going to die… _

_ Again… _

She laughed. She couldn’t help it. She was going to die here in this forest, but at least they were here. They were finally free on the surface. She could accept it, they’d be better with her gone.

She twitched, laughing earnestly.  Barely noticing that they all stopped to watch the scene unfold.

To watch their queen, summon her spear, it’s familiar gleam caught the light of the sun and Frisk went quiet. It was silent, and she stood. Maybe this is what Undyne needed, it would explain the torture before each reset.

Right?

She closed her eyes, maybe she’d be lucky, and it’d be fast this time. A clanging sound made her jump, and she opened one eye then the other in surprise. Her jaw dropped. She was confused.

It was Sans with an ax in hand, his eye sockets black pits as he grunted and dug his feet in the ground. Undyne’s glare was fierce, and  Frisk could barely keep herself together.

“breathe…” It was a simple word, she could tell it was directed at her as she took deep breaths, trying to stay more aware of what was happening. She wasn’t back underground, and she wasn’t being eaten alive by Undyne.

_ No..wait Sans… _

She remembered he only had one HP, to Undyne’s larger number. She hadn’t checked none of the monsters like when she was younger, but she distinctly remembered Sans mentioning it to her once.

“don’t you dare touch her.” His voice was gruff, a growl as he stepped forward and Frisk didn’t know what to think as she looked at that ax in his hands. Her hand went to her neck subconsciously, the memory of many close calls and resets at his hands.

Undyne’s eyes narrowed, going from Frisk then back to Sans. It was an unnerving quiet.

“You’re a bigger traitor than I thought.” The spear dissipated and Frisk flinched, the venom of the words made a shiver go down her spine yet Sans stood there. She couldn’t believe what just happened, and she looked at Sans confused. With her time underground this time, Sans made it no secret how much he hated Undyne.

It was hard to believe that this fish woman had once been Papyrus best friend and a friend of Sans. Undyne turned on her heel leaving, slowly everyone went back to what they were doing.

Frisk didn’t know what to expect next. She was supposed to be dead, she deserved that. She understood that. She had barely enough time to wonder how he got there, she knew from experience his teleportation was now limited.

Sans grabbing her hand made her blink, suddenly being pulled as they walked. Where were they even going? She could see the beads of sweat on his skull. Did he push himself?

“Sans?” She furrowed her brows, trying to keep up while frowning at the lack of an answer. His movements were stiff, wary, still like that of a caged animal. A further reminder that this was Sans now.

At a sudden stop, she nearly bumped into and looked around. They were a good distance from the town that the monsters were building up, yet close. Same as for the city.

“wanna live here?” The question took her by surprise. his back was still to her. He shuffled his feet, not dropping her hand as he laid down the ax.

“I…”

“with me and pap…”

She thought of her job, now probably ex-job with the way she left. The memory of that girl appearing in her office still haunted her. She was pale, distraught, riddled with bruises and marks. Bandages covering her, yet so many places couldn’t be fixed. It was a surprise at all she was standing and was in front of her that day.

They sent her straight to her, claiming she would be perfect for this one since she had claimed monsters herself as a child. It would be a fantastic article for Magiks Monthly, yet Frisk doubted her until she saw her. She was horrified at the tale and guilt-ridden as she looked at the phone she hadn’t touched in years. She had dropped everything at the memory of the skeleton in the blue hoodie, and now she was here.

“i’m not aski-”

“I’ll stay.” He didn’t say anything else at her answer, and she didn’t expect him to. She had meant what she said to him, back underground. No matter what he did, and how much she should have cowered from him. Her hand tugged at the arm of his jacket, his shirt still stained with blood, and he looked back at her. “I’m not scared of you.”

It was a whisper, captured by the howling wind.

He kept me alive...that must mean something...

His fingers tapped along the ax handle. “i know you’re ‘dying’ to prove something…” Frisk blinked at the skeleton in front of her. “but you pull another martyr act, and we end up back in that hole. buddy, the next time i see you...” He turned slowly, his head tilted at some unnatural angle. “ i’ll make you wish you were dead .”

Frisk couldn’t stop staring, no longer feeling sure of her bravery. She thought over his words. Her getting killed would mean a reset. That’s all it was. He had no other reason to save her.

It hurt…

“Not going to call me kiddo?” she laughed a bit, finding it strange she missed the old affectionate name though she was nowhere near a kid. His silence was daunting, and her laughter ceased as he lifted his ax. Her eyes staying on it as he raised it high.

“things change.” His swung, hitting a tree after with a force that spoke of years mastery. Her hand went to her chest, her heart was racing. She counted each one, each hack a reminder of time lost and chipped away. His swings increased, him moving from tree to tree.

She offered help, but he didn’t spare her a glance. She didn’t know what to do now. She didn’t know much anymore. She had been sure as a young teen, with a determination to get home. She had felt happy to hear from Sans when he called her phone and listened to the warning about Undyne.

Her happiness didn’t last when she heard how Toriel was drove back to the ruins.  Another chop took her from her memories. She watched him and frowned. She should have tried harder to call back, but with a memory of the last call they had. She wasn’t sure if she would have done differently.

His movements were manic, and she knew to stay silent. Especially when he laughed at a chop that landed just right, Frisk moved to get up until blinking as she bumped into a near solid body.

“where you going?” His tone was gruff and demanding with that red iris becoming more narrow, and she knew she had to speak quickly. The tapping of his fingers on the edge of the handle seemed louder.

“Just to find Papy.” He looked at her carefully, his eye twitched, and she could see it on his face. The indecision was evident. He wouldn’t kill her, but that didn’t mean much.

“heh.” His voice was quiet, his grin growing wider. “just trying to find, paps?” She nodded her head. His fingers started that tapping once again on the ax’s handle, and she flinched as he swung it. “he’s over there.”

Her eyes moved to where the ax pointed, and she nodded again. Sans arm didn’t lower, and she fought the urge to bring her hand to her neck. Her eyes stayed on him as she backed away, her eyes staying on him until she turned.

She went in the direction Sans showed her, looking for the taller skeleton. The image of Papyrus made her a bit hopeful, and at the same time hopeless.

She hadn’t expected Papyrus to look the way he did. Her thoughts led to her first view of Sans back underground. Though now the puns were dark and it disturbed her more than him not doing any at all, and that large crack in his skull.

“FRISK!” She jumped at the voice, suddenly engulfed in bony arms, her feet dangling in the air. “I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WAS LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU!” 

“Sorry, Papy” she laughed, steeling her nerves best she could. She looked at him, ignoring the smell of decay from his breath, trying to still find that same happy skeleton. The one she once took on a “date” and was rejected in the end. It was funny. It was the past.  “I was with Sans, um...will you go somewhere with me?”

“OF COURSE, WILL THERE BE PUZZLES ALONG THE WAY?” He grinned, his jagged teeth bunched together yet still he smiled just as bright as before. He lowered Frisk back down, and she took Papyrus’s hand before going.

_ It’s still Papy... _

Her hand tightened around the larger bony hand.

_ It’s still Papy... _

Making it into the human city was easy, many people were amazed at Papyrus and a bit disappointed that he couldn’t show them any magic. Papyrus had shown some disappointment in not being able to demonstrate how great he was, and it made Frisk frown. The monsters had to depend on the physical means for a long time, only using magic if they really had to. With resources and food scarce, the monsters couldn’t use magic as they wanted. They needed what energy they could just to sustain the magic that let them live.

Magic was just trying to breathe. To keep the soul alive. She frowned more at the thought, even as they left the city. Papyrus was still chattering, telling her everything she missed and Frisk couldn’t help but feel as though things didn’t add up as the conversation went on.

“BROTHER!”

They had barely made it to their clearing before Papyrus already yelled, Sans eyes were on her. She looked down at her bag, wondering if this was even the right thing to do and she pulled a bottle out a bag and held it out to him.

He blinked at it, and Frisk only smiled as he slowly went forward and took it, bringing the bottle to his lips and chugging it like his life depended on it.

His stance was still on edge, his eyes on her and he bought the bottle down. He turned back around, and Frisk frowned, it hadn’t worked like she thought it would.

She wasn’t sure what she was looking for, she just remembered back then when Sans spoke of that limited-edition ketchup as though nothing could top it. It was hard to find, and it cost more than she thought some processed tomatoes should. And most of all, she knew that ketchup was not as abundant Underground as it once was.

Yet it hadn’t worked. Frisk didn’t know exactly what she wanted to happen, but Sans back was turned to her.

She wasn’t sure what to do next. That was becoming a habit.

“i guess i should hurry and finish. we have some things to ketchup on, huh?”

Her eyes lit up, and he was looking back at her. His red iris on her, yet his hand left the ax, and both went into his pockets of his blue hoodie. The stance was rigid, but she could see it.

“Yeah...we do.”

  
  
 

* * *

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you sticking with me? Yay! Now if you have questions, comments, concerns, whatever...
> 
> Please let me know. If you want, you can also hit me up on my tumblr. 
> 
> http://creativepitstop.tumblr.com/
> 
> I don't bite. Lol


	3. Chapter 3: You Changed, I Changed, Now We're All Outta 'Sense'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now for the talk...
> 
> When a mommy skeleton and a daddy skeleton...
> 
> Wait...wrong talk.
> 
> And awkward moment ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and comments and all of that! If I haven't answered you yet, Just give me a moment and I will. I promise! I'm also glad you guys are enjoying the story.

* * *

_ He looks... _

_ Like he used to. _

It had been a week since Sans had agreed for them to talk, yet he hadn’t made a move to try. Or many moves at all beyond chopping at random trees. Frisk had once thought he was trying to build their new place until she realized this was Sans she was talking about.

Even with survival, he’d lure and trap. Not chase. Yet right now…

She watched him sleep against the tree, eyes closed and his ax nearby. She still wasn’t sure why he was chopping those trees. So far, the three of them had been sleeping on the ground, and she knew they would need shelter. They only had been lucky so far.

He looked peaceful, except for the crack in his head. She could nearly convince herself that things weren’t as they were.

“ya done staring?”

She blushed, looking away as Sans sockets opened, displaying that red iris that watched her carefully.

“where’s Paps?”

“He wanted to explore…” she watched Sans eye narrow. “I told him to stick to the forest and not go too far, though. I don’t feel comfortable with him going into the city on his own,” she added that last part quickly, feeling pressure in the air that was light but there. She knew he wouldn’t kill her, but the thought of a bone impaling her arm wasn’t fun. She was glad as the pressure left and Sans sat up, leaning back against the tree and pulling out a bottle of ketchup from his pocket.

The sight reminded her she needed to go on another food run.

“how…”

“What?” The question surprised her, it was random if anything. What could he be possibly asking? Was this the talk?

“how you get us outta there?” He chugged the ketchup back, his eye back on her in a steady warning.

“Oh…”

_ He was waiting for us to be alone… _

Papyrus hadn’t left them alone the whole week, and the only times he did leave the area was when Frisk would go into the city. The people there had even started a relief project for the monsters, it should have made Frisk feel better. Yet she wondered was it a payoff, the thought wouldn’t slip her mind.

“so? you gonna tell me? patella truth, i’ve been dying to know.” Sans chuckled, his fingers had moved to the edge of the ax handle tapping. To anyone else he looked relaxed, to Frisk, he looked like he was straining for control.

She thought how best to say it, she wasn’t even sure if Sans aware of Flowey, but before Sans knew about the resets so that could also include the golden flower. “Technically...it wasn’t me…” The tapping stopped, and Frisk continued in a rush, “It was Flowey.”

“...the weed.”

“Don’t call him that.” Frisk snapped and felt Sans’ glare, but she wouldn’t be deterred. Flowey had been the only one down there to help, and not try to eat her. She shuddered, trying to push away the memory of teeth tearing into her flesh.

Sans’ sockets went pitch black, the tapping continuing and grew faster.  “where is it?”

“Gone...Flowey’s gone.” She murmured, trying to breathe in the fresh air around them yet it all smelled stale, like the Ruins or the smell of blood.

“gone?”

“I told him I wanted to get you all out, and he didn’t believe me at first” Frisk heard a snort along with the drumming of Sans’s fingers along the handle. “When we got to the capital, he appeared inside the house. He was quiet, and he asked me was I willing to do anything to get you guys out of there. Then on another reset he asked again in the wishing room.”

“glad to know he ‘lily’ cared.”

Frisk glared as she looked at him, “He did care, he didn’t want to be down there any more than the rest of you! He sacrificed himself to break the barrier, he took in all 6 souls and said he’d take care of it. And he did! So, if anything you owe him your thanks!”

Sans didn’t move, and Frisk realized her outburst, his bones started to rattle, and she closed her eyes to ready herself for the pain she knew would come. Would it be his ax? A bone? The sound of laughter hit her ears, and she blinked in confusion watching Sans hold himself as he laughed.

_ You’re still in there… _

His laughter stopped, his grin turning into a smirk. “so, you don’t really have a clue what he did because you need 7 souls. he only had 6. i doubt he ‘rose’ to the occasion.”

“So?”

“so, red, it doesn’t bother you one bit that some other kid probably got murdered. that if he did it now, that he could have did it then. kinda makes you wonder, why now. because last i checked, he didn’t tell a ‘soul’.” His tone was calculating, rough, and it was bothering her. She was sure he knew it as she saw the amusement on his face, his humor had gotten dark, and she knew it.

“He got you all out. I don’t care how he did it.” She looked at him, full of determination and she swore she saw that red iris flicker between two colors. It was quiet, the wind rustled through the leaves and Frisk missed Papyrus desperately with his loud disposition to remind her of back when things weren’t like this.

“if you keep saying that, you just might believe it.” he chuckled, and Frisk looked at him as serious as she could muster, and his brow bone rose. “you changed…”

“So, did you.”

Frisk could never count on one hand the number of times her and Sans had an awkward silence because there were no times to count. Even the time at the resort and his words “dead where you stand” would haunt her and killed something inside her. It was tense, not awkward, to care so much about someone and to learn it all hinged on someone else.

She had been 19 then, barely an adult in the real world though Underground she wasn’t even sure of her real age anymore from the number of resets and the amount of time it took her to get from one area to the other.  The laughs, the jokes, the pranks, the comforting feeling of him watching over her and knowing that wherever she was that he wouldn’t be far behind.

It was comforting, it made her happy...

_ It was all a lie… _

If she changed, she would have to say it started that moment. The moment she felt she owed them nothing, and she had been angry. So very angry…

“I could talk to some of the others in Surface Town, maybe they have material or something we can use.” As much as everyone liked to make fun of Asgore’s naming skills, Undyne’s didn’t prove to be much better.

“no.”

“What do you mean no? We can’t sleep on the ground forever. W-”

He clutched at the hole of his eye socket, that grin widening. She fell quiet as she watched him, his fingers slowly unlatching then tapping on the handle, drumming slowly.

“I’ll go into the city instead.”

“good.”

  


* * *

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to update at least once per week. Emphasis on TRY. You know how life can sometimes be. I tried to draw the sun scene from the first chapter annnnd it turned out horrible. Oh well. lol


	4. A-Void-ing Issues and Turning Back Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk really wants things to go back how they were and even when she doesn't realize it she hangs on desperately to the past. Maybe she'll learn that hanging on so tightly will never let her get a'head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do not own Undertale, Horrortale is not my idea, and Papyrus is a precious cinnamon roll that eats people.
> 
> This chapter is shorter than my usual numbers, but the cut off felt right.

* * *

 

 

Frisk couldn’t take her eyes off it…

She was unsure how to feel about the structure in front of her as she touched the door, half expecting to look up and only see the darkness of the underground. She heard feet behind her, a sharp intake of breath as she looked behind her and saw Sans.

Suddenly he was behind her, his eye sockets a black void and the loud tapping thumped against her ears as she pressed against the door. An ax raised, with a deadly roar as it swung for her neck.

**Save! Save! SAVE!**

She heard the thud, and next she was kneeling in the black void with her hands at her neck, and she trembled. She could see her own image and next she was laughing at the sight of her head and body disconnected. Laughing and squeezing at her throat, until she fell over, her hands touching the surface that was everywhere but nowhere. She could hear the gurgling sounds in the distance, of something else.

Someone else.

Someone else trapped.

Her hands went into her hair, and she could see them. Glowing faintly before her.

**Continue?** Or  **Reset?**

She pulled at the strands, standing with a dark smile curling her lips as her hair hung limply and her bangs made it impossible to see. She reached forward, not having to look as she pressed the button, biting her lip until the metallic taste touched her tongue.

Her eyes opened to the sight of the ax and it stopped, grazing her neck and his eyes were on her as far as she could tell. His heavy breathing, with his mouth shaped in as much of a scowl as it would allow.

“why? why come back?”

“I thought we could see the inside together.” Her voice was quiet. He could easily snap again, and she could feel the blade of the ax as he leaned in. Her hand went to her neck as the ax dropped and he moved back, looking at it.

She watched his fingers touch the door just where she had, and where just moments ago, her head was chopped off.

_ No blood. No mess. _

She almost laughed again…

There was a dark thought that maybe he ate her while she wasn’t looking, some habit he couldn’t break. The laugh escaped and looked to see him staring at her then go inside.

_ Didn’t he think this was all funny, too? _

She looked up again at the structure, it looked straight out of Snowdin. How hadn’t she realized it before when she described a place that felt like home to the constructors in the city? She half expected two mailboxes, one to be overflowing with mail Sans never answered.

It wasn’t that home in the Underground now, not the one falling apart and desperately trying to hold on with the rest of that world. It was the one where she first fell.

Walking inside, she looked at furniture all in the right places, and her eyes saw the door half opened upstairs as she made her way up there. A long time ago it’d be locked with flames underneath, her feet stopped at the door, willing it to be before raising her hand.

She stood there at the sight of blood on the door, slipping down into a puddle as she closed her eyes, no longer seeing it once they were opened.  _ This isn’t there… _ She rubbed at her eyes, pushing the door the rest of the way open as she went in, looking to see Sans staring at a spot.

“What is it...” She watched, he hadn’t moved from that spot as his eye sockets narrowed and she watched him move his left hand towards that spot. His mouth unlatched, filling her with surprise, his eye flickered red and an unnatural orange with some inhuman sound from his mouth. Yet he kept pointing his hand to that spot.

“Sans, talk to me!” Her eyes widened as she watched his knees buckle, she moved forward with her arms going around him, the hood of his parka no longer as fluffy as she remembered with that smell of decay that wouldn’t go away. “Please…” his head bowed, his hand dropping and she could hear his heavy breathing.

Still, he said nothing…

And even later, still nothing.

She could hear animals and insects outside, her body sore from the hours in the same position and yet she dared not move. She wasn’t sure the next time she would get just to hold Sans.

“BROTHER! HUMAN! DID YOU SEE THE HOUSE? IT MOVED TO THE SURFACE WITH US, AND IT LOOKS BRAND NEW!” Papyrus’s head peeked in, and Frisk saw his eyes fall on them, “SANS, YOU'RE ALREADY LAZY?”

“THOUGH…” Papyrus stopped as he looked around the room “THIS MIGHT BE THE CLEANEST I EVER SEEN YOUR ROOM! AND NO TRASH TORNADO! MAYBE YOU CAN KEEP IT THAT WAY!”

She felt Sans stiffen.

“heh. Maybe. i checked your room, you got some figures missing. maybe we can go find some in the city.”

“PERFECT IDEA!” Papyrus beamed, and Frisk felt Sans starting to stand. 

“patella truth, i wanted to see what’s so great about this place.”

“SANS! DON’T RUIN OUR OUTING WITH PUNS!”

“ruin dream of it, bro.”

“SANS!”

Sans let out a laugh, one reserved for Papyrus, and Frisk knew she should be laughing too. She should be glad to see the brothers like this, it was just like old times, and that thought should make her happy.  She looked at the corner, hearing the brothers go back and forth.

_ There’s no trash tornado… _

She looked around the room, ghosts seemed to be at every corner and inch.

This...had been a bad idea...

She left the room, going downstairs again and sitting on the new couch. The place was so perfect, and yet...

She pulled her legs up, holding herself with her head bowed. She could hear the two of them in Papyrus’s room as she stayed in a ball.

“AND MAYBE WE’LL FIND FRISK SOME NEW CLOTHES AS WELL!”

Frisk looked up when she heard Papyrus, barely hearing Sans reply as she realized she’s been in the same thing for a while now like Sans and Papyrus.  Hearing them both come down, she looked at how they looked as well as looking down at herself.

She started to wonder why the city’s people didn’t run screaming…

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp...
> 
> he was bound to snap at some point? 
> 
> Confused or anything? I hope not! And if you are let me know. See something strange? Point it out to me? Just like this story? Tell me that too!


	5. Is your life in ruins? Try laughing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once the land was ruled by men and monsters, say the voices in her head. And she screams so beautifully. Such a sweet, delicate sound. That scream. The one that tells of a savior. Or maybe she's the savior. Don't ask us, we're just the voices in her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writer's block is a .....yeah you know. So I don't own Undertale and Horrortale . And yeah...I think I made you guys wait enough. Soooo let's get to the point.
> 
> And sorrry!

* * *

 

 

**_Drip_ **

**_Drip_ **

Frisk watched the water came down into her bath water as she sat in the tub. She had her favorite shampoo and body wash, and new clothes that they had got from the city. She even managed to find her favorite style of striped shirts.

Her mind went to the trip in town that happened more than a week ago. It had been a successful trip, with the only slowdown being the moment they passed the ketchup aisle. So why wasn’t she…

**_Drip_ **

**_Drip_ **

_ I should be happy... cheering…We might even be able to move into the city and not just be isolated here... _

Her hand went into red…

_ No… _

She blinked again, her breathing heavy, ragged. She blinked twice more until it was clear again, and tried to steady her breaths.

“FRISK” She looked at the door hearing a knock that turned to a tap. More tapping, more of that tapping. The door was white as snow…

**_“one head dog coming u-”_ **

“I decline. I decline. I decline!” She screeched, gasping for air as the sharp tugs to her hair got worse, and she moved her hands to her neck. Scared to swallow as her eyes went up to…

She blinked.

_ The ceiling? _

She brought her hands down slowly, looking at them as she noticed they were becoming wrinkled. There were voices outside the door. One was louder than the other.

“SANS, I THINK SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE HUMAN! ALL I DID WAS ASK HER IF SHE WANTS TO GO TO THE CITY!”

“Oh no…” She quickly grabbed her items, washing her body quickly and muttering the words “it’s clear…the water’s clear…”. She scrubbed, she cleaned, she scrubbed some more as she started to see red.

“No, no, no…” She had to get clean...she had to get…

A knock...no a tap…

Voices...so many voices…

She had to…

A hand grabbing hers…

“No!” She blinked again, seeing Sans beside her. Her hand in his bony one as he turned it, looking at it and then back over her. Her brain was trying to process it all.

A red iris stared pensively back, his eye sockets narrowed in some expression she couldn’t read as he let go of her hand carefully. She looked down at a bed, confusion lit up on her face to see unfamiliar sheets and clutched at the blanket around her.

_ No, not a blanket...jacket… _

She pulled it closer, it smelled of the forest. She let her arms go through the sleeves that she noticed and pulled up the hood overhead.

She heard knocking and curled up more into the blue hoodie. That other smell wasn’t on it, and she breathed in the jacket’s scent more as she heard receding footsteps. The room door opened then closed. She could still hear footsteps.

The Underground made her so aware…

Or maybe the walls were just that thin.

Holding the jacket closer, it hung over to her knees with its bulk as she moved to the door. Her feet shuffling forwards, and her cracking it open.

“Sans? Is…Is my child here? I looked…and looked...And I looked everywhere? Trust me I looked...because if I didn’t look...she’d just disappear again. Thr-through the door...”

“hey to you too, tori.”

“Oh, hello Sans. I-is my child here? Did I ask you that? I... I looked everywhere. She can’t leave again...it’s too dangerous...way too dangerous out here...”

“tori…”

“I... I just keep searching. She was home yesterday...she’s been home everyday. But she got so quiet yesterday when we went for a picnic...so very very quiet.”

“...i’ll look.”

“Oh, good. She’s wearing a striped sweater...you know the one...yo-you did keep your promise, right? You can’t hurt her...”

“yeah, i know...”

“Oh good. Good. We should go look for my child then…I must keep them safe. I have to...”

i know, tor…” Sans sounded resigned to Frisk’s ears, and she heard the door open then shut. Not hearing anything else, Frisk slipped out and looked out towards Papyrus room. She had a feeling she messed up. She felt brushing against her legs and looked down. She had barely noticed the shorts…

No, she hadn’t noticed at all…

Her hands went into her hair, scratching her own head as she took deep breaths.  _ What’s wrong with me? We’re out. They’re saved. Everything’s fine. It’ll be like it was but...just on the surface... _

She mumbled it, chanted it under her breath until she believed it. With another deep breath, she made her way to the kitchen, she’d make things up to Papyrus. Then she’d talk to him and find out what exactly happened. She smiled at her own decision, going through the doorway. She stopped immediately at the sight of the large cabinet under the sink, tall enough to be a closet.

Red... all she saw was red…blood pouring...flesh and meat picked cleaned from the bones and fur sticking in between teeth. She closed her eyes tight, then opened them again to a normal looking giant cabinet.

She laughed…

She seemed to always be laughing. She came closer, looking for the bag in another cabinet knowing it was there. Her hand reached in, grabbing the hammer that she thought would be so perfect. So, perfect for their wonderful “new” home.

She laughed and laughed again with her arm swinging.

_ Perfect...perfect...So  _ **_PERFECT_ ** _! _

She wasn’t even sure how she got on the floor. Or how the splinters got in the places they got. Time was lost on her so long ago, and as she heard the door slam, she didn’t bother to look up. She knew who was in the doorway. Maybe he’d snap again...maybe not…

She could hear his footsteps as he shuffled in those slippers of his. Her eyes catching the pink fuzzy things, until noticing that these were new. And she thought back to that trip into the city that had gone so well. They were doing so well.

His feet started to crunch on broken wood, and then she heard a hearty laugh.

“never thought you be the type to get hammered.” He chuckled, and finally, she looked up, seeing his back as he touched the broken pieces of what was left of the cabinet. Her eyes stayed on him as she saw it…

Dust…

“Where were you…?” She kept staring, it was barely there. As though he tried to shake it off. But it was there.

“kid…”

“Where were you?” It came out a scream as she stood, and she watched him turn around. Could monsters age? He looked like he just did, and they stared at each other. Eye to eye socket and she knew the answer. It was on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t want to say it. She saved them. She saved them.

I saved them! Her hands went to her head, mental anguish and screaming as she pulled and tugged at strands. This was wrong. This shouldn’t have happened. Hands were on hers, grabbing her wrists and suddenly she was on the wall. Twisting, turning and writhing. She screamed and yelled.

“You killed her!”

He didn’t deny it, and she fell quiet, hoping he would. Because Sans would never. He wouldn’t... Her eyes watered. Tears streaming down her cheeks as she went limp, and his hand no longer on her wrist as he let go.

She just fell to her knees crying.

“i had to.” He mumbled. “don’t think it’d look too good if she accidentally kills every kid that wanders here from the city thinking it’s you or one of her kids.”

“Maybe if I would have just gone to her and…”

“heh. that’s cute.” He gave some dry laugh that had her glaring.

“My determination got us out. It saved us, all of us, if you would have let me talk to he-”

“ya can’t save what’s already gone.” His red iris left her and searched the kitchen. “and tori’s been gone a long time now…”

Frisk fell quiet, her eyes going to that broken wood. “I haven’t been a kid for a long time now.” Back when all she needed was her determination…

“i know…”

“And I don’t know how to fix it…”

“i know…” He sat down next to her, and there was a careful arm around her shoulders. And she leaned into him as they looked at the broken mess in front of them.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, it was worth the wait. And as always thank you for comments, kudos, criticisms, and etc. I'm tired and am now leaving you guys to go over to the TMNT fandom until I write this next chapter. See you soon!


	6. Dead I Tell You That Things Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk is realizing more just how broken everything is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I'm sorry! I love writing this story but with every draft of this chapter I wrote and read over, I either didn't like it or I just had writer's block. It sucked. Seriously sucked. And sadly I'm still not sure on it! But hopefully you guys enjoy it!
> 
> Second, I dont own Undertale or Horrortale! 
> 
> Third, for a recap...Frisk is a bit...nuts? LOL And so is everyone else. But can you blame the girl? And I read your guys thoughts and comments, and yay! I'm glad you're so invested, hopefully still invested. I'll get to answering them all soon as I can!

* * *

 

_Broken…_

 

Frisk laid in the grass, looking up at the sky. She had been doing this awhile now, she refused to go back in that house. Surprisingly, Sans didn’t bother her. She wondered if he said something to Papyrus because he didn’t disturb her either.

 

_It was all a mess…_

 

The light touched her skin, and she brought a hand up, studying it the same way she did when she was younger. When sparkles of rock would flicker across her arm like a night sky.

 

_It was so fake…_

_Like this…_

 

She blinked, and at the sight of a skeleton hand on her wrist, she screamed, tugging and screaming obscenities as she tried to get away. _Not again…not again…_ She was screaming, she pulled and tugged trying to get away.

 

Her mind was reeling, barely understanding with him pinning her to the ground and looked up at a red eye, studying her as she went still. Every inch of her was aware, as his red iris roamed. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at that lone socket, something seemed different. She looked at him long after he was done looking at her, his grip had weakened.

 

“wanna picture? it’d last longer.” He smirked, and she rolled her eyes at him as she slowly let out a breath she was holding.

 

“You scared me to death…”

 

“funny, you don’t look dead.” He snickered.

 

“Are you seriously working up to a pun…?

 

“of corpse not. why would i do that? dead honest.” he chuckled, and she let out a groan. She didn’t bother to move or try to get him to move, instead laying there even with him on top of her. It was strange, odd.  Time passed, and she found she didn’t mind it. Her eyes drifted to the crack in his skull, the edges were jagged.

 

“What happened?” The question was out before she could stop it. “What really happened…?”

 

His fingers tapped against her wrist, right along a vein. One good move and she’d bleed out yet that seemed an afterthought even as she stared back. She wasn’t taking it back. Dying was just some sick little joke now.

 

 

 She observed him, feeling the tapping stop only for him to trace that spot. She watched that bony finger with interest, feeling a small hum of magic.

 

“what exactly you asking?” It was a mutter, a dangerous one that hung at the edge threatening to go either way in an instant. Self-preservation would tell her to let it go, to let it all go. Frisk didn’t care much about that.

 

_Or maybe I do…_

 

It was confusing.

 

“Your skull. Starvation didn’t do that…” She looked back at those jagged ridges, not sure what to make of the situation.

 

“you wonder that, but not bout the flower?” He let out a sudden guffaw. “you’re a real piece of work, know that?” The tapping had started again, but she only looked him in the eye.

 

“And here I thought you would say I sit in sugar.”

 

“why…?”

 

“Because I have a sweet ass.” She couldn’t help the smirk that crossed her face, watching Sans expression change into laughter. Every time he laughed she could see it. _He’s still there... and he was still laughing._ Light, and cheery. It was crude, but nothing to do with death.

 

_He’s still there…_

 

His tapping stopped, and her hand went up to the edges of his skull, touching the crack gently. He stilled, barely. His penlight flickering on the other side as that red iris watched her carefully. The bone always was interesting, though jagged it had some type of bend. It explained why he could make expressions and close his sockets.

 

 

“undick.” It was a simple remark, dripping with cold and venom that took her by surprise. When she last left, Undyne was friends with the brothers or more-so Papyrus. Yet Papyrus mentioned being glad he was no longer part of the Royal Guard. _Do I ask more…?_

 

“scared?”

 

“No.” It was a quick response from her, one where she kept reminding herself she should be afraid. And she could feel a bony finger drag over her wrist again.

 

“i told her…” His finger didn’t stop moving. “that papyrus was done being her puppy to kick when shit doesn’t go right. she thought ...no hoped, you’d be down there earlier. way earlier, when that ain’t happen, she took it out on paps.”

 

“But they were best friends!” She was appalled at the thought, the vision of Papyrus in that matter created gruesome images she didn’t want to see. She shook her head, trying to will it away.  “They had cooking lessons and…” She felt that finger still a moment.

 

“things change, red.”

 

_Red like blood? Red like determination?_ Her mind teetered between the two, as she remembered the two friends and the promise she broke. She killed Asgore…

 

“So, she attacked you for it…” Her voice was quiet.

 

“my magic was already straining...just got worse. maybe i’m not as hardheaded as she thought.”

 

“Sans…” She gave a look.

 

“you knew i had to take a crack at it.” He snickered, and she gave a look.

 

“She hurt you.” She frowned, and he quieted down, surprising her as he laid to her side.

 

“you did first.”

 

The words struck her, it wasn’t an accusation. The statement sounded tired, defeated. She left him and others broken, only to break more. Literally.  Still, it stung every time.

 

“i did.” She had nothing else to say, nothing left.

 

“but you were just a stupid little kid.”

 

“Hey!” She sat up, glaring as she looked down on him as she moved. His eye flickered in that blank socket, and for a moment she saw a penlight. It was white. Then in that other socket, one to match. That bloody red tint no longer staining it for just that moment. And it stayed as they looked at each other until he moved, nearly shoving her to the side as he stood.

 

“come on, red.”

 

“I’m not going back…”

 

“then move forward.” His hands slipped in his pockets, a jacket free of blood and no smell of decay. His slippers shuffled across the dirt, leaving her to decide as she stood following him.

 

It was quiet as they walked, back towards where she knew the house lay. She preferred the grass, it had been her stand still as the past continued to haunt her. Her eyes followed the pink fuzz of Sans slippers as she followed behind him, stopping once he did. She really didn’t want to see it.

 

“didn’t know you had a foot fetish, red.”

 

She looked up glaring, making sure to look at him but instead caught sight of the house first. It was nothing like when she left it. It was a cottage, it reminded her of something out a fairy tale with the way flowers and plants grew around it. And the sun seemed to shine and touch it in the right place. She half expected a talking animal or two.

 

“This is...horrible.” She laughed, she couldn’t help but laugh. It was nothing like she thought it would be or anything she thought Sans would pick out. Yet here it was. So horrible, yet it seemed right. He turned, and she saw the smirk, the penlight eye was gone. One empty and in the other, nothing left but that red iris. She knew it hadn’t been her imagination, but there that iris was, red as a bloody trail.

 

_He’s sick in the head for this…_ _A fairytale cottage after a nightmare of hell. Perfect._ She realized, she was just as sick.

 

“Is this what you were doing?”

 

“me? work?”

 

She suddenly remembered who she was dealing with, though sometimes he was one thing. And the other times something else, the Sans she knew from before. Maybe he was just both. Like now, he’d been so close to the edge, yet he’d been Sans the whole time. Her Sans. No ax in sight.

 

He confused her…

 

“wanna go in? or you taking that picture?”

 

“Coming...” She slowly followed. It was so normal, she could pretend they weren’t broken.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like it? Hate it? Love it? Let me know!
> 
> And I just realized this is the only Undertale story I have done zero art for....


	7. Q & A : Questions and Axes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk has found some kind of peace, though it's coated in lies...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope I wasn't too long this time. This story probably has about eight more chapters left in it. Glad you guys are reading, enjoying, and etc. Please continue to kudo, comment, and let me know your thoughts. If you're reading Heartless" that was updated yesterday, and next I'll be working on "Preset to Reset". 
> 
> I don't own Undertale, or Horrortale!

* * *

 

They say if you take one step forward, you take another three back. But as time went by, Frisk and Sans settled into something. 

Frisk wasn’t sure what to call it. Papyrus was the one designated cook for them all to enjoy as he tried out new recipes on them. Somehow, he’d still slide in spaghetti; she was even surprised when he asked to learn a new way to make it from her. Though maybe it wasn’t too surprising since it was Undyne who initially taught him.  Though she never ate spaghetti anymore.

She loved taking him into the city, using each time to make up for her mistake from a while ago. She was angry at herself for that, though Papyrus never mention it. She wondered why, though she didn’t ask him either.

And every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday they’d go into the city. Like clockwork. She was always checking the time, the day, the month. And how she’d look the same. No one commented on it.

She thought of getting a job, but it never went well. Something always sent her back. Some smell, sound or something always got to her. Then she'd be there screaming, and Sans would be there to take her away. She wasn’t sure if him dealing with her was for better or worse. Or maybe he took her for better or worse...

much worst...

She didn’t know anymore, and she didn’t ask.

She wasn’t even sure what to ask Sans. Some days were fine. They were peachy. The birds would sing. Flowers would bloom just outside their little cottage. And Sans would be lazy. He’d pun and drive Papyrus crazy, and Frisk could deal with not asking because they settled into something.

And some nights, he’d just watch her. That red iris back and forth, steady and rocking to observe her every step. Fingers were tapping, sending her back. Sometimes, he’d even make a joke and ask her if she wanted a hot dog. 

She didn’t eat hot dogs either….

The nights were never full ones; the days were never full ones. It was a switch. Sometimes Sans was there, and he was her Sans. The one she remembered. Those days flowers bloomed, and birds singed, and she loved them the most because she didn’t feel that need to ask. 

She didn't need to push about those nights...

The ones where she’d be sleeping, or he’d think she was. He’d appear, and she was sure she saw dust over him. She’d tell herself it’s not there because her Sans would never do that. Then she’d remember Toriel, and she’d repeat it in her head louder.

Day after day…

Month after month…

Those nights would happen, and she'd tell herself it's okay because they settled into something.

If a day wouldn’t work, maybe the night would.  She'd tell herself that same thing each night, just like this very night. And tonight she was staring at the ceiling. Trying to sleep as she tossed and turned, her body refusing to rest. She tried to control her breathing, in and out deeply until sleep finally took hold.

_“I wish I knew how to get you guys out…” Frisk whispered into a large flower; it illuminated the darkness like the others. The walls sparkled, and the water was still, fresh red stained it as she dipped her legs in the cool water. She shivered, hanging her head as she held what was left of her arm after a meeting with Sans._

_“You really are an idiot….”_

_Her eyes glanced to the side; a golden flower stood with a giant eye taking up its whole face. She laughed as she kept looking, clutching her arm tighter as she remembered the feel of the ax that went through it._

_Flowey continued to look at her as he kept speaking to her, “And now you’re just as mad as the rest of them…”_

_She let out a giggle; it echoed just as loud as the laugh until the tears started. They flowed over her cheeks as wrenching sobs came out of her. Yet Flowey said nothing else, staying near her as she cried in that darkness, the now abandoned wishing room of the Underground._

_“What happened to you…?” She choked out the words, rubbing her face with the back of her palm with the only hand she had left. It was odd not to feel the pain anymore; she felt numb as she hung her head, loose strands of hair dangled around her face._

_“Too much determination, but I’m not a monster. Or a human…”_

_“So, you’re a freak…” She laughed, and she noted the surprise on Flowey’s face. He tilted, his stem moving along with him._

_“You’re not the same idiot then….”_

_Frisk just shrugged, looking off as she brushed against some lone echo flower, but there was nothing. She wasn’t surprised, every reset to when she fell there had been nothing. No wishes, no words. Some even had despair until there was simply nothing left._

_“It's too late to save them…there’s nothing left to save. They’re nothing but monsters now.” Flowey said bluntly._

_Frisk glared, giving the flower a look as she narrowed her eyes.” I refuse to believe that.” Her mind went back to the little girl who found her. Then to the look on Toriel’s face as she promised the woman she’d get them out this time.  This time Flowey laughed, it was twisted._

_“Fine timing for that determination of yours…” Flowey laughed more, his body twisting with that eye staring at her. “Just what are you willing to do to get them free. How far will you go?”_

_She looked away, seeing the darkness as it lay out with no whisper of wishes. She knew Flowey had asked her before, way before the many resets, yet she still had the same answer._

_“I’ll do anything…” Frisk spoke with determination._

_“Just get them to the barrier, then,” Flowey answered, and Frisk knew he'd disappear within the dirt soon._

_“What are you about to do?” She tilted her head, asking the golden flower._

_“Do you really want to know? Do you care really care how I do it?” Flowey's eye stayed on her and Frisk only shrugged._

_“No.”  She was just as twisted in darkness as the rest of them, she watched Flowey disappear, and Frisk knew she made a deal with the devil. Soon Flowey was gone, leaving her with her thoughts. She wondered how she'd get them to follow when they were more concerned with licking her bones clean of meat._

_Far off she could hear the howls of the dogs as she started to pick herself up and run. It was as though the Underground agreed with her. She was nothing but meat, no longer their savior.  Her lungs burned as she ran._

_But they were faster…_

_And it’s hard to run after you lose your legs. Flesh torn, ripped as her blood-curdling screams echoed back at her from the blue flowers._

Frisk screamed out louder, trying to move as her eyes snapped open to a dark socket and red iris peering down at her. She tried catching her breath, looking up at the skeleton who had her in a steel grip once again.

“we really gotta stop meeting like this, red.”

She only stared at him, feeling the dust cover her. “What did you do…”

His sockets narrowed, but then he laughed. It was manic, deafening, as it echoed through her room…

And they took those three steps back.

 

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like it? Hate it? Love it? Let me know.


End file.
